The Enigma
by EnigmaticCrux
Summary: SakuraItachi. Sakura runs from painful memories when Sasuke returns from Sound. As she runs she makes choices that could change her whole outlook. Could their be some humanity in the Akatsuki? Cowritten with Rikku Hikari.
1. woops

The gates of Konoha were officially closed for the night. Wind whipped up through the trees in the forest directly beyond the gates. Of course no one could hear the way the leaves shook; no one could hear the way the rain cried as it hit the already damp ground, and of course, no one could hear the barely audible footsteps of a kunochi jumping from branch to branch on her way home. The pink hair that was flying behind her as she ran, was soaked from the downpour.

She could not forgive, she could not forget.

In her troubled mind, that was kept sane only by the presence of her inner self, thoughts of a dark shadow kept her moving through the merciless torrent. The shadow paused, stared, and then kept moving.

The shadow swirled into the darkness, until a shape was almost unrecognizable. But there was one thing that could never be hidden.

It was the crimson eyes that were graced by unique black swirls. They once said thank you. But now they said only of the terrible sorrow of their owner.

The Uchiha survivor.

What was she running towards?

Not happiness, not sadness, just numbness. It was all she could stand.

Hurtful memories had kept her awake night after night.

She knew she would go insane if she stayed. Her memories revived themselves in the loneliness of the night.

_Sakura and Naruto sat side by side on a bench in a hospital room. The room was clean and tidy, but the figure laying on the bed was not. There were many blood soaked bandages. The sheets were stained by the scarlet mess left by an Uchiha. _

_The two that sat on the bench were waiting. They said it would be today! Why wouldn't he wake up? They had waited three long years and had finally regained their friend. They themselves had already recovered from their wounds, but Sasuke, who had battled Orochimaru, was still unconscious. _

"_It'll be alright Sakura-chan. I promise!" Naruto smiled one of his smiles that always made Sakura feel better. She smiled back. _

"_Naruto I think you're more worried then me, if that's even possible." The joke lightened the mood. However they both stopped chuckling when they heard a strange note in Sasuke's heart monitor. And sure enough when they looked down, they looked into familiar, nostalgic dark eyes. They burned with recognition as memories of their previous fight together flooded his mind. They could only just barely hear him as he muttered something. _

"_What took you so long?"_

So go ahead and tell me what you think. I'm not a huge fan of criticism though. It's not very encouraging. This will most defiantly be an Itachi/sakura story.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -


	2. Lee

Not very far away from the pink haired kunoichi, was a boy with eyebrows that were possibly thicker than even the most untamed bushes.

He blushed as Sakura stopped in front of her door to look up at the sky. She was so beautiful. Gripping his bandaged fist tightly,

Rock Lee planned what he was going to do.

He could picture it. There Sakura would be, crying and completely exposing her deep love for Sasuke.

Her weakness.

But all that would change as Rock Lee approached her. "Sakura-chan…? What's wrong?" He would ask, tilting his head slightly to one side.

Turning around, flustered and still crying, Sakura would quickly attempt to wipe away the tears.

"Nn… nothing, Lee," she would answer, hastily.

Taking a few steps towards her, Lee would hold out his arms in front of him and embrace her with a passionate hug.

"It's Sasuke… isn't it? You're going through this because you know that Sasuke will never accept you."

The pink haired kunoichi would merely sob into his green vest, her shoulders quivering violently.

"Lee… it's as if you know me…" She would mutter, looking up into Lee's sparkling eyes.

"Sakura…" Lee would say, brushing his lips against hers, "Even if Naruto or the other's were to leave you just as Sasuke did, I want you to know …" He paused, feeling as Sakura's eyes gazed up at his in agonizing anticipation for what he was about to say.

"I will always be with you… I love you…" Sakura would then wrap her arms around his tightly and press herself to him. "Oh! Lee!"

Lee, unaware that his nose was bleeding faster than a broken fire hydrant, fantasized things that would be best not mentioned to those who are not in favor of this pairing.

After a few minutes of making out with a poor nearby tree, Lee wiped the blood away and prepared himself for this night.

Stepping out of the bushes, he walked towards the dazed Sakura quietly. "Sakura-chan, What's wro-" Suddenly the kunoichi whirled around and whacked Lee with a legendary punch.

Poor Lee was flung out of the way and into a nearby ramen shop, tears of his failure running down his face like twin rivers.


	3. Daisuke

Lee left defeated, but it didn't mean he wouldn't try again. Sakura muttered her apology before she ran inside her house. She flung herself on her bed, trying to keep the tears in. 'Cha! We'll show that Uchiha with the stick shoved up his ass what being a ninja is really about!' Inner Sakura screamed in her head. But Sakura was feeling a bit less motivated. None the less, Inner Sakuras antics cheered her up.

A loud knock was heard through the house.

Sakura walked to the door and she was surprised to see a woman standing there. She was amazingly beautiful. As men walked past they turned to stare at her.

"Hello there! My name is Daisuke! It's nice to finally meet Tsunade-sama's apprentice.

Sakura could only stare in shock. Daisuke…Daisuke…Daisuke!!! As in IT was a man! A few boys from behind heard Daisuke's name, they turned, their faces downcast as they realized their sin…

Sakura finally closed her mind and managed to speak a few words.

"Right now…Well ok I'm coming." Sakura ran inside and grabbed a jacket to keep warm and then started walking next to Daisuke.

"Sorry to bother you, miss, but Tsunade received word that Temari of the Hidden Village of the Sand wanted to speak to you of something important." Daisuke said in an extremely friendly way, adding to his already feminine appearance. Sakura hardly paid attention to him as he was so gorgeous in the sunlight… it was tempting to ask him how he managed to be that pretty. "Sakura-chan?."

The kunoichi shook her head a little at the mention of her name. "Sorry…! I was … um … I didn't get any sleep last night so I was in a bit of a daze… yeah…" She said nervously, her cheeks slightly turning pink. Daisuke smiled a rather boyish smile as they continued to walk down a dirt path. "You know, you're really klutzy … kinda like my little daughter." Sakura's green eyes lit up at this.

"You have a family?!"

Daisuke chuckled. "Indeed. My wife, two children (both are 3 years old, and twins nonetheless!), and of course myself."

There was a short pause as Sakura tried to stop herself from gawking. Daisuke appeared to be as young as a teenager … though earlier he claimed to be in his late 20's … Shaking her head abruptly to stop the random thoughts that came to mind, Sakura simply tried to smile back at him. "How nice."


	4. Scary Liquid

"Damn it…"

Sasuke cursed to himself as he sat up from his bed. It had been 24 hours since his battle with Orochimaru, yet he felt as though it had just been a bad dream. He winced as a small gash on his side opened a little from his sudden movement. Muttering more curses under his breath, the Uchiha heir stared at the door across from his bed. Behind it was a peculiar shadow, one that he mistook almost instantly as an enemy.

"Show yourself, you coward!"

The door opened slightly to reveal a pure white eye behind it. "S-Sasuke.. kun…" Hinata mumbled shyly as she gently pushed the door open further. Sasuke lowered his gaze back down to his blankets. "Oh… it's just you. Sorry, Hyuuga-san…" The said girl trembled a little as she stepped into the room. "It's okay. You're… just a little tense… you did fight Orochimaru and all…"

Sasuke hardly looked up as she stepped over to the foot of his bed, her hands fiddling with her now long black hair. It was an awkward moment. Both bloodline bearers were sure to keep quiet. Hinata stared outside at some birds that seemed to be fighting each other for dominance over a certain spot on a branch, while Sasuke stared down at his seemingly endless amount of bandages covering his entire upper body and arms. Finally, he spoke, breaking the strange tension between the two. "Don't you have something else to do besides waste your time here with me?"

Hinata looked back at Sasuke, surprised that he spoke so suddenly. "N-no! I… don't have anything better to do! … I mean! I'm not wasting my time here with you! I just wanted to find Naruto…!" At the mention of his name, the kunoichi blushed a deep red hue as she looked down on the ground. The Uchiha cocked an eyebrow at this. It was pretty obvious to any idiot that Hinata had a big crush on Naruto.

Well, except Naruto himself.

"Hyuuga-san…" Sasuke said, looking up at the girl, then pausing. For some reason, he couldn't stop staring at her. She was absolutely more gorgeous than he remembered… Of course, there wasn't much to remember. He never looked at any girls like he was to Hinata before. It bothered him that he never noticed.

As if sensing Sasuke was watching her, Hinata used all of her strength to get herself out of the room. "I-I hope you get well soon, Sasuke-kun!" She said rather quickly as she stumbled out of the room. Without hesitating, she bolted down the hallway, careful not to hit anybody whilst doing so.

Sasuke stared after her for only a few more moments before pulling out the tubes that were attached to his body and staggering to his feet. "I need to get out of here… I need to find Itachi." At the mention of Itachi's name, Sasuke growled angrily. He practically fell off the bed in a vain attempt to stand up, but this didn't stop him from using nearby objects to support him as he made his way out of his room and snuck down the hallway.

Three floors down, Hinata was panting heavily as she leaned against a wall. It took her a few moments before she regained her breath and started to walk down another hallway aimlessly. "Naruto-kun." She whispered to herself as she looked down on the ground. A sudden moan from a familiar bushy browed boy brought Hinata back to reality as she turned a corner to find Lee on a wheelchair, covered like a mummy in bandages.

"Oh! Lee-san! What happened?!" She asked worriedly as Lee attempted to throw her a thumbs up sign with his broken right hand. "Do not worry, Hinata-chan! I, the sexy devil of Konoha, have attempted to proclaim my love to Sakura! … Cuz' I know she digs me." Hinata sweatdropped as Lee tried to strike a pose, though that was deemed impossible due to the body cast he was wearing. Hinata smiled slightly at him. The guy was a bit too flamboyant… okay, he was just retarded. But, in some way, she still saw him as an older brother figure.

"Lee, you do know that Sakura-san only has eyes for Sasuke, right?"

It was as if someone dropped a silent bomb on Lee. He seemed as still as stone when Hinata mentioned this. Without warning, Lee punched his fist into the air, barely brushing his hand past Hinata's chin. "That is not true! I shall prove that my love for Sakura is far stronger than that Uchiha bastard!"

The Hyuuga girl fell back, but did not hit the floor. Instead, she fell into the arms of Uzumaki Naruto. "Hinata! Are you alright?!" The blonde boy asked, staring down at Hinata concerned. Being merely a few inches away from her love's face, Hinata blushed like crazy and her heart skipped a beat. 'Naruto… he's holding me….' She thought as Naruto smirked.

"You gotta be more careful around bushy brows! He's really bitchy when you remind him that Sakura won't ever think anything of him."

Although Lee fumed at this, Hinata giggled quietly, a hardly audible one. Naruto thumbed to himself as his smirk turned into a wide grin. "'Sides! I'm sexier than bushy brows! Sakura's more likely to like me when she realizes that Sasuke will never like her back!" It was then that Hinata stopped giggling, her expression emotionless as she lowered her arms back to her sides.

"That is not true! My love for Sakura is a burning passion! Such as which rivals my drop dead sexy looks!" Lee argued to Naruto. "Tch! Dream on, Bushy Brow! Dog crap's sexier than you!" The kyuubi boy proclaimed loud enough for most people in the building to hear.

A few nurses not very far away covered their mouths with their hands or brushed Naruto's shouting saying, "This job always lands me with the weirdo's no matter how much I try to avoid it…" Lee's and Naruto's argument continued for a while, Hinata focused her attention on the ground as her eyes started to become a little blurry. "Hey, Hinata!?"

She looked up to see Naruto, a wide grin stretching his large mouth. "Don't you agree that Sakura likes me more than Bushy Brow?" She couldn't take it anymore. Hinata didn't hesitate to run away from the two boys as she made her way to the large doors in front of the hospital. Just as she pushed open the door to get outside, Hinata slammed into somebody who had unfortunately picked the wrong time to get in her way. Crying out loudly in surprise and anger, the Hyuuga girl activated her bloodline power and rammed her fingers mercilessly into the poor man.

He groaned and fell into Hinata's arms, causing her to fall backwards onto the ground, the man's face landing against her lower abdomen. It took a few moments to register what had happened before the man gripped Hinata's upper thigh tightly, confirming exactly as most girls would dread.

"Pervert! Get off!"

But as Hinata lifted the man off of her, she instantly recognized him.

"Oh no… Sasuke-kun…"

* * *

Sakura made her way to the Hokage's office with Daisuke by her side. The man had gave a strange cheery smile to everyone who passed. She kept stealing glances at him while her mind pondered on what Temari could want. In the time that Sakura trained under Tsunade she had become good friends with Temari when she came to visit. Sakura was often asked to escort Temari through the village when Shikamaru was unavailable. But now was not the time for Chunnin exams or anything of the sort. And Shikamaru was available so what could Temari of the sand want with her?

They walked together through the door and Daisuke then disappeared from her side with a last smile. Temari stood by the Hokage's desk.

"Sakura! There is a need for medical ninja's in sand. Temari has come to ask and escort you back to sand to teach a few medical jutsus to the sand medical core."

"I understand Tsunade-sama. How long will this take?"

"Two weeks at most. You teach them and they can master it themselves, do you understand that?"

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

Sakura looked over towards Temari and was pleased to see that The sand ninjas face was relatively peaceful. The last thing she would want is to take the three day trip with a moody and annoyed girl with a killer fan.

Temari and Sakura left through the door and immediately Temari confessed her anxiousness to be on their way. Sakura agreed and ran to her house to pack a few things. Temari would be waiting at the gates.

Sakura quickly threw a few medical supplies and ninja weapons in to a small backpack perfect for these situations. She took a look around the apartment for a final check that she had everything she needed. She had moved into this apartment a while ago when she finally realized it was time to move out of her parent's house. They were sad to see her go but they understood. She started the short walk down to the Konoha gates. She didn't bother to leave a note. Anyone who wanted to know where she was could check with Tsunade.

Temari and Sakura made their way slowly into the think forest that surrounded Konoha.

Little did they know about a figure clad in a green unitard watched from the shadows. He grinned in the most malicious and scary way a man in a green unitard could. He had big plans to put on quite a show for his Sakura. And if she wouldn't stay put long enough for him to get his feelings out then he would force her to stay still…

Lee had no time to waste. He had to put his plan down before Sakura finished with her medical lecture at sand.

* * *

Lee backtracked to the less nice parts of Konoha. He had an appointment to keep. He rounded a graffitied wall and proceeded towards a slum of a shop called "Maic." He looked at the sign and noticed the missing G. He walked inside the store and was immediately greeted by a short and stout woman wearing many costume beads and way too much makeup.

"Ah Lee-san you managed to make it on time. I have what you requested." Her voice was raspy.

"Ahh- thank you. May I have it now?" He was eager to get on his way.

The scary woman handed him a purple bottle and with a warning that was not even considered, Lee left.

* * *

It didn't take Sakura long to finish teaching the sand medical core. After about two weeks she was ready to return home. She took one last look at the sand village behind her and started her trek back to Konoha. She dashed off across the sand.

* * *

Deidara stepped closer to inspect the strange thing on the tree. It appeared to be a Konoha headband. But what was it doing there and why? Tobi stood behind him, the little coward. His hand slowly reached out and grabbed the headband. Underneath the headband was some sort of strange…nozzle? His eyes widened when he realized his predicament.

A strange sort of liquid shot out at him, hitting him squarely in the face. He whipped around and the liquid continued to hit Tobi right in the eyes.

Deidara fell to his knees and wiped the liquid out of his face. He opened his eyes to see the hard ground… Hard ground… Dirty ground… So dirty!!!

He gasped aloud as he realized the filth that was his clothing and surroundings.

Tobi tried to get the stinging liquid out of his eyes but to no avail. He wiped his eyes repeatedly but it was sticky and kept gooping back together. He then noticed a strange chorus of noises around him. It was strange…He had never felt so entirely involved in the sounds of the animals of nature around him. He heard a bird chirp and his heart jumped. He heard a wolf howl and he felt dizzy. He heard the pecking of a squirrel and he almost fainted in wonder. What were these wonderful noises? What were they really? The liquid dripped out of his eyes and he instantly started towards the nearest tree to see if the squirrel would like some company.

* * *

Deidara could only stare in horror as his partner started walking up a tree to try and seduce a squirrel. He couldn't stand it! Everything was just too dirty! Germs!

There was no other way in his mind. He hit Tobi in the back of his head and he passed out on the poor squirrel who just wasn't quick enough to move as it was frozen with terror. Deidara picked his partner up and went to the nearest village. In some part of his mind he realized he shouldn't enter a village so close to Konoha. But at this point he would rather be dead then dirty.

Deidara reached a inn in the small town just a day away from Konoha. He left Tobi on the counter and ordered for him to be bathed immediately. He then took his own shower, going through the entire stock of soap before he was done.

Deidara knew what was next. Desperate time call for desperate measures, and he knew that times really were desperate. He left the inn and went to the nearest store that sold cleaning supplies. And then he saw it. A whole rack full of Lysol bottles. He almost cried.

He grabbed a few and hid them in his cloak and armed himself with Lysol in both hands.

Tobi woke up with quite a headache. It didn't matter though. It didn't matter that he had been bathed and his clothes had been changed. It didn't matter that he was in a strange place. All that mattered was that outside his window….

Was his squirrel friend.

He stared at the squirrel

The squirrel finally noticed him and stared back.

The squirrel dropped the nut he was holding.

Tobi almost wet himself.

* * *

Deidara returned to the inn with an cloak full of Lysol. He went up to Tobi and his room. If he was not so infatuated with the cleaning supplies he might have noticed the strange occurrence going on in the room. Tobi had a squirrel on the bed and looked like he was about to rape it.

"Oh yes, yes squeak for me!" Tobi's voice did nothing to soothe the squirrel.

Deidara didn't pay any attention to Tobi because he realized that there was a dirty squirrel on a bed in his room! Ignoring Tobi completely he rushed and shoved Tobi off the poor squirrel. The squirrel looked gratefully up at his savior, only to be met with a blast of lavender scented liquid air.

Deidara straddled the squirrel and sprayed him till he noticed Tobi grasping a chair to help him stand. Deidara rushed over and sprayed the chair and then proceeded to spray Tobi's feet so they wouldn't make the floor dirty. The squirrel finally escaped.

* * *

Lee returned to the place where he had set his trap. He had only wait until Sakura came by to reveal himself. The potion would make her become obsessed with whatever it was that she came into contact with first… and he would be there.

He was very confused when he came upon the trap already detonated. The tracks on the ground near the headband were not women's feet though. They were men's feet. He swallowed audibly. He knew something bad had happened and he walked to the nearest town to see what he could find out.

Nothing could have prepared Lee for what he saw when he reached the town and inquired as to any strange activities.

He had found two Akatsuki.

And they had both been sprayed by his potion.

He knew instantly that it was his fault when he saw the Akatsuki member with the swirling mask trying to mimic a bullfrog. He was even more sure when the second Akatsuki was spotted spraying dirt…with Lysol.


End file.
